Tag Archives: journey

I just looked, and the end of March was the last time I wrote about my own creative business journey. That’s almost six months! With the move, the discovery of a new baby and a toddler, it has been difficult to continually stay focused on making an income from home, as many of you know. So, I took some time out and shifted my priorities a little. It wasn’t until the beginning of August that I felt a kick in the pants and decided it was time to give it another go!

The most exciting adventure so far has been turning my blog into a self-hosted site. I tried it before but it didn’t work, so I turned to Amy Cluck-McCallister from Amy is the Party and IndieSacramento, and one of my favorite people in Sacramento, to help with my site and logo. She worked her magic, and we’re in the home stretch! When I started the blog in 2012, I never saw it as a way to make an income. It was just a place for me to write. But, as I have seen some really positive blogger/business relationships and I have seen how mutually beneficial it can be to both, I decided to give it a try.

I’ve seen a preview of what it’s going to look like, and let me just say that I’m super excited to share it with you!

In addition to blogging, I have decided to give my vintage/handmade/print shop another chance. I changed the name to collected + made and have reopened my Etsy shop under that name! I also opened up a shop on Society 6 and I’m selling on eBay too! I have even thought about vending at a local craft fair in November.

I’m excited to get back in the swing of things and to see if I can truly make a creative business out of my passions!

And as promised, the giveaway winner for the beautiful gratitude earrings from Compliment is: Jessica Eapen! Congratulations!!! The winner was picked randomly from my blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Jessica, please contact me at mamabecrafty@gmail.com so I can get your beautiful earrings to you!

Prior to prohibition, California was a major producer of hops, specifically the greater Sacramento region. Now, however, the demand for craft beer is far greater than the supply and craft brewers are sourcing their hops from outside California.

Julien of New Glory Brewing and Chris Powell of Jackrabbit Brewing, both craft brewers, brought the hop shortage issue to Rohit Nayar of RoCo Wine, a bottle shop in West Sacramento. Rohit talked with his longtime friend Jaspaul Bains, who works at his family’s 200 acre peach farm in Yuba City, and United Hop Farm was born.

Photo Credit: Nzube Okemiri / Beers in Sac

In talking about what inspired the documentary, Scott says “we wanted to be a part of reestablishing this region as a major hops producer, bringing locally sourced ingredients back to the Sacramento Valley and into the hands of our brewers. We wanted to highlight the local breweries quest for hops from local farms, and follow their journey from farm to glass.”

Filming started in July and just finished in late August. Scott says that Rohit opened their eyes to hops growing in this region and was the biggest influence in making the documentary.

“Likewise, Victoria Suan of Brew Wave is an incredible videographer, and without her dedication and hard work, this would never have seen the light of day,” Scott adds.

Photo Credit: Nzube Okemiri

There are under 100 total acres of hops farming in California right now, and Scott says they are hoping that this will bring more exposure to breweries and farms alike – sourcing locally, pushing demand and delivering on what has become a consumer request.

“People want local, people want fresh, and Sacramento can be the leaders on producing the best hops, not just in California, but anywhere,” he says.

There will also be multiple screenings throughout Sacramento’s Farm to Fork Celebration (Sept 13 – 28), dates and times are yet to be determined. They are also working on an informative Farm to Glass CA website and any questions regarding sponsoring land, hops for home brewers, visiting farms, or farm events can be directed to info@beersinsac.com

Share the original post on the Beers in Sac website using #beersinsac for a chance to win 2 VIP tickets! Winners will be picked at random.

Last Wednesday, something kind of miraculous happened. I set my alarm for 8 am and I actually woke up to it! Didn’t hit the snooze button, no lying in bed listening to my alarm’s rampage – I simply just got up and put my workout clothes on. I jumped on the Wii Fit and was immediately reminded that it had been 183 days since the little Wii dude last saw me. Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m here again…punk.

After it weighed me – and confirmed my suspicions that I gained weight – it was back to the grind. Since then, I’ve gotten up every morning (sometimes a little later than 8 am, not going to lie) and did some sort of exercise before Cecilia rises. She’s a party animal and goes to sleep at midnight and wakes up around 9 or 10 am. And it is kind of nice to have a couple hours of alone time before the beautiful insanity begins.

I worked out a little schedule where I could fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day:

Monday: Wii Fit

Tues: Bodyweight Exercise

Wed: Wii Fit

Thurs: Bodyweight

Fri: Yoga

Sat: Walk around the park with Cecilia

Sun: Yard duty (that is truly a workout)

It has felt really good to finally get in a groove and get back in the kitchen. Those couple weeks of fast food and pizza while moving really effected us in a weird way. I’ve been using this workout for my bodyweight days and it totally kicks my butt. I know it’s not completely all bodyweight, but that’s what I’m calling it.

I also downloaded a basic shopping list from The Gracious Pantry and I’m challenging myself to use up all the produce we have here before buying new stuff so nothing goes to waste. I’m also challenging myself to add an extra exercise every week. Since I accomplished 30 minutes a day last week, this week I’m adding 15 minutes of morning yoga.

I have ten pounds until my goal weight. That’s when I’m going to go through all my old clothes one last time to see what I can keep and what I totally need to just let go. Because I have zero plans to get under 130 lbs.

Thank you for hanging out with me while I’m on this journey to good health. I’ll be sharing awesome workouts and recipes I find as I go, and post one last update when I hit my goal. If you are also on a healthy journey and want to compare notes and trade tips, share in the comments and connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest!

I am cowboy boots – deep in the middle of the transitional part of my journey right now. My blog is still in the redesign process and my friend and I are working on new items for our shop and I’m working on designing a really neat logo and beefing up our marketing. So, while I work on giving my businesses the attention they need, I wanted to share a few resources that are inspiring me right now.

Image from Confident Creatives

When I worked at my College newspaper, my favorite type of article to write was a profile on someone. A lot of the other writers didn’t share the same feeling, so I was always assigned profiles – which made me ecstatic, and helped shape the profiles I write on my blog now. I love to hear people’s stories, and share them from my point of view. That being said, I will never write someone’s story for them, if that makes sense. This article on How to Write Your About Story from Confident Creatives is the perfect explanation of why I will not write an “About Me” section for anyone. Nobody can write your story better than you.

Image from Oh My! Handmade!Goodness

You already know my love for Oh My! Handmade Goodness. Sadly, I had to let my membership go until I am ready to dive in head first again, and it’s just not going to happen right now. But, that does not mean that I’m going to stop engaging in the conversation and reading what the wonderful Jessika Hepburn has to say. This month, she’s starting a new series called Shoots & Roots and she’s asking creative business owners to share their story about cultivating their business, much like gardeners cultivate their business. If you are interested in sharing your experience, there are several topics to choose from. I already have a topic in mind that I’m going to write about!

Image from How to Thrive

How to Thrive was founded last year and the Organizers Amie and Louisa are friends and business partners who share tips and resources for moms who are starting their own businesses. It looks like their Facebook page was just launched last month and they are still working on their website. You can find a lot of helpful information and motivation by visiting their Facebook and I’m really excited to see all that they will share in the future.

I have been wanting to get back into working out daily for a long time. And I have come up with every excuse I can squeeze out of my lips and finger tips for why I’m not doing it. I’m tired. I have no energy. I chase a toddler around every hour I’m awake – isn’t that enough? Yesterday, I decided it was time to stop excusing why I had abandoned something that I secretly loved and that pushed me to take care of myself.

I wanted to involve Cecilia in my workouts and I knew that the baby workouts I did so long ago will probably not cut it for a baby on the move – so I searched for some new exercises I could do with my girl.

Photo from Bulu Box

I found this little diddy from Rena Roark on Bulu Box that has fun exercises to do with your little one all the way up to your adolescent. Crazy to think that Cecilia will eventually be an adolescent. Blasphemy! I also found a neat 28 day workout plan to do with your kid from Inspired by Familia that I’m going to give a whirl.

Now, moving on to the taste buds…I have….THIS!

Photo from Kim’s Healthy Eats

Oven Fried Pickles from Kim’s Healthy Eats paired with Clean Eating Ranch Dressing from The Gracious Pantry makes me a happy girl. I’m a sucker for fried pickles, and I was over the moon to learn there is a healthier recipe and I cannot wait to make them as an appetizer, or as dinner on a solo night.

Want to share a workout or recipe? Post in the comments and connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Google +. I love meeting new friends who are on the same journey, and I love making new discoveries – especially when they involve yoga and food!

Since my blog is in the middle of being redesigned, it’s the perfect time for me to work on our Sweet Mariposa branding. We’re going to sponsor a booth at the the fundraiser I’m organizing, and since this will be our first time at something like this, we wanted to get everything together. I designed our first logo a little while ago, but it feels very generic and doesn’t really say anything about what we do. Now that I’m learning logo design in my Graphic Design class, I wanted to make something that I loved.

Sometime last year, I was virtually introduced to Kate Payne, the author of The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking. I don’t remember how the introduction occurred, but from the moment I visited her website, I’ve been hooked. I was so hooked that I purchased her book last November, and I love reading it in the little snippets of free time that I get.

I’m hoping to put a lot of her homemaking tips to use when we get our house, so I will do a full review of the book then. But for now – I just want to share her amazing story.

Photo from Kate Payne

Before this book, Kate was what she calls “a flashy cook” – cooking food that would excite, but was not necessary by any means. She has also donned titles such as grant writer, half-assed homemaker, nanny, after-hours poet, doodler and gardener. She studied anthropology and sociology in the Sonoran Desert and once worked on an organic tomato farm.

Kate started the blog in 2009, when she was living in a ground floor apartment in Brooklyn, NY. She wasn’t making the money she was used to, but she still wanted the comforts of home. She dug inside for a little creativity and improvisation, and there the blog – and subsequently the book – were born.

“I started the blog specifically with the intent to write a book. The blog was a sort of sounding board for me to see if what I was thinking about writing was of interest to anyone besides me. I was not a blog reader at the time and my background in grant writing didn’t factor much into my blogging endeavors. I think the rigors of writing well–proofreading, syntax, punctuation, grammar, etc.–should go into any style of writing one does, whether it’s books, blog posts, magazine articles, or grants. “

She decided to write a book because she felt like there wasn’t enough resources out there for women who weren’t so hip on homemaking and keeping a clean house. Aside from that, she found herself questioning if it was normal for a modern, empowered woman like herself to actually enjoy the domestic life.

Image from Kate Payne

“The stigma and history surrounding women and domesticity fueled my intrigue in exploring my own relationship with the kitchen and household chores. With my book and approach I hope to shed a new light on DIY and eco-oriented homemaking. We all need somewhere to call home and shifting our attitude toward our homes is a good first step.

I’m of the opinion that you should pick and choose what you do yourself based on what you actually like doing, and then dedicate money you save there on quality items or services you don’t particularly enjoy. What makes the most sense for certain people to do themselves, doesn’t make sense for others. “

On top of maintaining her blog and writing her books, Kate also writes grants part-time for a nonprofit and maintains a quarterly column for Edible Austin. She works with her Marketing Coordinator Christina Valentine on the blog, tour event planning and managing workshop preparations. And because that is clearly not enough, she also works with a local farmers market group and helps maintain their website and social media.

“Freelancing means I’m working nearly all the time, but working on things I feel passionately about makes it worth it. I always carve out time to eat dinner with my wife, who does most of the sustenance cooking around our house. (I manage the fermenting, canning, desserts, ice cream and bread making, the projects we love, but can ultimately live without.)”

Meyer Lemon bath salts. Photo from Kate Payne

Kate started canning in 2009 and peach jam was among her first projects, which she was afraid to eat because she was terrified the jars were full of botulism. She also made a triple citrus marmalade, from Eugenia Bone’s book Well Preserved.

“As I endeavored to learn more about canning, I soon discovered that all the hype surrounding your imminent death by canning was not really likely if you followed USDA-approved canning methods and practices. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for beginners.”

A self-taught cook, she gets a lot of her recipe inspiration from Joy of Cooking and many of her gluten-free recipes will start from there and from pastry chef David Lebovitz. She will then make the recipes gluten free-friendly by substituting the flour for a flour blend based on what she is making. As for her preserving projects and recipes, she’s inspired by Linda Ziedrich, Eugenia Bone and Sandor Katz.

She and her friend started the Food Swap Network, which provides hosts and attendees with a bevy of resources and information. Existing swaps that are registered on their site are searchable for anyone nearby who wants to join the fun.

Gluten-free Cinnamon Cake. Photo from Kate Payne

Kate’s new book The Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchencomes out next month and is available for pre-order now. She says it will be in the same style and format as her freshman book – it will just focus completely on the kitchen, which really is a world of its own.

“I took over the cooking for the year I wrote the book as evidence that even someone like me who doesn’t enjoy daily sustenance cooking can reasonably and affordably incorporate cooking into their busy lifestyle.”

She hopes people will just simply focus on doing their best, and will relax when they hit the learning curve that comes with working on new projects. And as for the best compliment she’s received:

“A single mom told me how she’s never had time for any household things, but my book and small-batch preserving recipes on the blog inspired her to try doing some kitchen projects with her daughter. They now spend more time together cooking and canning, which means the world to her.”

Photo from Kate Payne

Kate will be kicking off her HGGK Book Tour (hooray!) on May 24 in Ann Arbor, MI and the tour will close in Albuquerque, NM on July 1. I have listed the dates and locations of her book tour, and you can also see her full classes, demos and signings schedule by visiting her at katepayne.net.

May 24 – Ann Arbor, MI: Literati Bookstore, time TBD

May 27 – Austin, TX: BookPeople 7:00pm

May 28 – Houston, TX: Blue Willow Bookshop, 7:00pm

May 29 – Brooklyn, NY: Greenlight Bookstore, 7:30pm

June 13 – Tucson, AZ: Antigone Books, 7:00pm

June 17 – La Jolla, CA: Warwick’s, 7:30pm

June 23 – Seattle, WA: Book Larder, 6:30pm

June 28 – San Francisco, CA: Omnivore Books, 3:00pm

June 30 – Phoenix, AZ: Changing Hands Bookstore, 7:00pm

July 1 – Albuquerque, NM: Bookworks, 7:00pm

You can find Kate Payne by visiting her on The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking website, you can find neat stuff in her store and you can connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. If you know an awesome maker who would be perfect for this series, please leave a link in the comments, share on my social media or e-mail it to me!